Strip or ribbon making method and apparatus



Oct. 5, 1943. E y RIPPL ET AL 2,331,230

STRIP OR RIBBON MAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Figgd March 13, 1941' 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 J3 34 Z9 27 F52 2. 12 24 26 /0 lg 25 z y I. 36 /6 M Y /J' O a /7 5 34 Fi 1 7 29 45; f

\ lnven+orsz 1 7 Francis J. RippL, Elmer B. Isaac, lilfl lil mmmm y l 46 Then At'lrorneg.

. 1943- F. J. RIPPL ET AL 1,

STRIP 0R RIBBON MAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Fi-led March 15, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nunanunuunungj;

\y Invewtor I M9 62 Francis J. A I? Elmer" B. Isaac, 3 65 b9 ii 64 Their- Alrborney.

Oct. 5, 1943. F. J. RIPPL ET AL STRIP OR RIBBON MAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed March 13, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 invewfovs: Francis J. Eippt, Z

UJ m e a n b w 5 w A .W m m E T1 Oct. 5, 1943. F. J. RIPPL ETAL STRIP OR RIBBON MAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed March 13, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 lnveni'ors Francis J. Eippi,

ELmer" B. Isaac, d

Patented Oct. 5, 1943 STRIP OR RIBBON MAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Francis J. Rippl, Cleveland, and Elmer B. Isaac, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application March 13, 1941, Serial No. 383,096

Claims.

thin sheet of the combustible material to produce such filling material. A flash lamp containing such material is disclosed in our application Serial No. 322,520, filed March 6, 1940. This application is a continuation-in-part of our application Serial No. 353,650, filed August 22, 1940, now Patent No. 2,297,368, dated September 29, 1942.

Prior to our invention, the only commercially successful flash lamps contained a combustion supporting gas and a very loosely distributed metal foil or wire which, upon ignition, burned extremely rapidly to produce an intense flash of light. The speed with which the burning takes place makes it possible to receive the full benefit of the light photographically. However, the light flash must occur within a very definite interval after the lamp is set off, in order that the photographic apparatus may be properly synchronized therewith. Heretofore, the desired rate of buming could be obtained only by the use of extremely thin metal foils or fine wires as the combustible materials. However, the manufacture of such materials is relatively costly and difficult. The interval or lag between. the moment the flash lamp is set off and the moment it reaches a usable brightness is also somewhat difflcult to control when such materials are used, and it necessitates costly procedures and tests during the manufacture of the flash lamp to maintain uniformity of the said interval.

One object of our invention is to provide a more economical method and apparatus for supplying the combustible filling material for flash lamps. According to our invention, narrow strips or ribbons of a combustible material are formed by repeated cutting or trimming operations on a thin sheet thereof which is readily and economically procurable, and a number of such strips or ribbons are introduced into the bulb of the flash lamp in a manner causing them to be distributed uniformly about the interior thereof. The apparatus for forming the strips or ribbons comprises means for feeding the sheet of combustible material at a very definitely established rate,

and means for cutting extremely narrow strips or ribbons from said sheet in accordance with the feeding motion. Means are also preferably provided for separating certain numbers of said strips or ribbons and for effecting the removal of the separate strips or ribbons from the cutting apparatus.

Another object of our invention is to provide apparatus for automatically feeding the sheet of combustible material in a very precise manner so that strips or ribbons of very definite width are separated therefrom by the cutting apparatus. The feeding operation is very difficult to accomplish satisfactorily in that the sheet is of the order of .001 inch in thickness and usually of considerable length so that it must be kept as a roll. The strength of the sheet, which is preferably of aluminum, magnesium or an alloy thereof, is therefore relatively slight and it could be readily bent or stretched out of shape so that the feeding and cutting operations would be improperly performed. The metal sheet also presents a smooth surface which is diflicult to grip and feed properly.

Another object of our invention is to provide apparatus for cutting extremely narrow and uniformly shaped strips or ribbons from the metal sheet in a very precise and rapid manner. Ordinary cutting apparatus is not satisfactory for this purpose, since it tends to tear the sheet into strips because of the thinness thereof and does not produce strips of sufficient uniformity. Torn or non-uniform strips do not have a definite size and, therefore, impart indefinite or uncontrollable characteristics to the flash lamp. Ordinary cutting apparatus can not produce strips with sufficient rapidity to permit said strips to replace present foil and wire fillings in flash lamps and it often becomes entirely inoperative after short periods of use.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will appear from the following detailed description of a species thereof and from the accompanying drawings.

Our present application is a continuation-inpart of our application Serial No. 353,650, filed August 22, 1940.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of apparatus comprising our invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through said apparatus taken along line 2--2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, of a section through the principal parts of said apparatus taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical section through adjacent peripheral portions of feed rolls in engagement with the metal sheet, on a still larger scale; Figs. 5 and 6 are side elevations of gear trains for the feeding means and the discharge means respectively; Fig. 7 is a vertical section through one-half of a modification of o in the cutter; Fig. 8 is a side elevation of one end portion ofthe modified cutter and associated apparatus from which a section corresponding to that shown within line 8-8 of Fig. '7 has been removed; Fig. 9 is a plan view of a second embodiment of apparatus comprising our invention; Fig. 10 is a vertical section through said embodiment taken along line iii-I of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a vertical section through the cutting and feeding means thereof; Fig. 12 is a vertical section through a bearing for the cutter along line i2-l2 of Fig. 9; Fig. 13 is a side elevation of the cutting means; and Fig. 14 is a side elevation of the gear train for the feeding means for the above embodiment.

The combustible material is, in the instance shown in the drawings, in the form of a sheet l0 of aluminum .001 inch in thickness, which is of uniform width and of such length that it is wound onto the roll ll. Such material, while it is extremely thin, is insufflciently'thin to be effectively ignitible when comparatively wide strips are used as the filling material for flash lamps, but the material is effectively ignitible when out into extremely narrow strips. The free end of the sheet l0 extends between the roiis i2 and I3 of the feeding means which automatically advances it over the upper surface of the stationary knife edge l4 and into the path of movement of cutting edges of the rotating cutter IS. A moving belt i1 carries the strips or ribbons l8 from the cutting means as rapidly as they are formed.

The rolled combustible material II is held by the conical plugs I! which are forced into opposite ends of a central opening therein and is supported by the rod 20 which is held by the arms 2i extending from the frame 22. The ends of the rod 20 are located in open slots in the arms 2| and are engaged by the fingers 23 thereon which prevent lateral movement of said rod 20. This construction permits the roll H to be quickly replaced and does not allow the sheet iii to shift laterally in the apparatus.

The metal sheet In is drawn from the roll II by the rotative motion of the feeding means which is provided primarily to advance said sheet ID to the cutting means. The feeding means is comprised of the feeding rolls i2 and II which are located relatively near the stationary knife edge i4, and is directly responsible for the width of the strip l8 cut from the sheet l0 since it feeds said sheet i0 over said knife edge l4 and into the path of the cutting edges is of the cutter l6. In this instance only .000685 of an inch of movement is required of the sheet l0 between each cutting action since each of the strips or ribbons i8 is to be of this width and the feed rolls l2 and ii are turned at a uniform rate producing this movement with no apparent disturbance in said cutting action. The feed roll i2 is mounted in bearings in the uprights 24 at opposite sides of the bed 25 for the knife edge if whereas the feed roll I! is mounted in floating bearing blocks 26 within slots in said uprights 24. Springs 21, which are located between the top of the hearing blocks 26 and the collars on the lower end of the adjusting screws 28, cause the rolls l2 and II to engage the sheet ill with the necessary pressure. The screws 28, in turn, are mounted on the bars 29 over the slotted ends of the uprights 2 The metal sheet l0 must be fed in a very positive manner in order that uniformly wide strips or ribbons I8 will be cut therefrom and accordingly must be especially constructed so that the smooth surface of said sheet l0 can be gripped and held thereby. It is preferred that the peripheries of the feed rolls l2 and I3 have matching protuberances and depressions therein, which in this instance have a modified screw thread form in that it permits the sheet l0 to be bent during engagement with the feed rolls i2 and I2 which assures positive contact and gripping action across the full width thereof. The feed rolls l2 and ii are arranged so that the ridges 30 of the threads in one roll are over the grooves M of the threads of the second roll in the manner shown in Fig. 4 and the pressure of engagement of said rolls l2 and i3 is such that the sheet I0 is bent to the form shown. Any irregularity in the'rolls l2 and i3 is therefore of no consequence.

The metal sheet l0 does not return to its original form after leaving the feed rolls l2 and i3 and, in its present corrugated form, is so stiff that it is fed to the cutting means without difficulty. In the instance shown, the metal sheet ID has an effective thickness of .003 of an inch, whereas the plane sheet i0 is but .001 of an inch in thickness.

The feeding operation advances the end of the metal sheet I0 over the stationary knife edge I4 and into the path of movement of the edges I! of the cutter it which rotates at a uniform rate of speed in a clock-wise direction. A bar 32 mounted directly over the stationary knife edge ll engages the upper surface of the sheet l0 at this point and keeps it from shifting about. Both the cutter it and the bar 32 are mounted on the bearing blocks I3 at opposite ends thereof, the latter indirectly through the arms' 34, and are retained at a fixed position on the frame 22, whereas the knife bed 25 can be adjusted with relation thereto by manual rotation of a plurality of screws 38 located along the back thereof. The twevle edges I! of the cutter l6 and the bearings in the blocks 22 are manufactured with extreme accuracy so that the cutting action in every instance is exactly alike and the strips or ribbons l8 drop free of both the stationary knife edge I! and the edges I! of the cutter ii. The edges I! of the cutter i8 are diagonally arranged thereon in the instance shown. The strips or ribbons l8 severed from the metal sheet l0 fall onto separate areas of the moving conveyor belt l1, and do not have the corrugated form of said sheet in but have an irregular appearance which is believed largely due to a non-uniform twisted condition. The conveyor belt l1 carries the strips or ribbons i8 either to means for storing them in some manner or to manually or mechanically operated means for inserting them into the bulbs of flash lamps.

The cutter IS, the feed rolls i2 and I3 and the belt II are the only driven members of the machine and are actuated from a common source, preferably onelectric motor (not shown) which engages the cutter [6 through the belt 311 the pulley l8 and the coupling 31. 'The shaft 28 e on which the pulley I8 is mounted extends from one side of speed reducer 29 which, in combination with the train 40 of gears shown in Figs. 1 and 5, provides for the operation of the feed rolls I 2 and I3. The particular feeding motion desired in this instance is developed through a speed reduction of 286 to 1 which is divided into a 50 to 1 reduction in the speed reducer 39 and a 5.72 to 1 reduction in the gear train 40. The gear train 40 is driven through the shaft 4! of the speed reducer 39 which provides the support 84-48 are mounted on the arms 88 which are adjustably attached to the frame 22 of the apparatus so that other gears of different sizes may be substituted for those in said train and the width of strips or ribbons I8 out can be changed at will. Gear 82 is not provided with teeth completely around its periphery but has three groups thereof which havesumcient length to cause the feeding means to operate for definite periods during which a sufficient number of strips or ribbons I8 are formed to supply one flash lamp. When one of the groups of teeth are not engaged with gear 83, the feeding means is not operated and an interval occurs during which no strips or ribbons I8 are cut. The conveyor belt I I, however, continuesto move during these intervals and a space such as shown in Fig. 1 occurs between the strips or ribbons I8 for one flash lamp and those for another. The

lengths of the operating and rest periods are,

of course, established in accordance with the requirements of the flash lamps and on different occasions when a greater or lesser number of strips or ribbons I8 are required, changes can be made in the gear train 48 to produce the desired results. In some instances the counting feature of the apparatus may not be desired and a gear having teeth over its full periphery may be substituted for gear 42. The conveyor belt I! is preferably moved at a rate of speed which causes the strips or ribbons I8 to be spaced from each other in the manner shown and is actuated from the drive shaft 38 of the speed reducer 89 through the gear train 58 shown in Figs. 1 and 6,

the shaft 5| and the roll 52. The shaft 38 supports the gear 53 of the gear train 58 and the motion imparted to it is transferred through the gears 54, 55, 58 and 51 in order to the gear 58 on the shaft 5|. Support for the shaft 5I is provided by portions (not shown) of the frame 22, whereas support for the pins 59 and 88 on which the gears 5455 and 58--6'| respectively are mounted is provided by the bar 8I which is attached to the frame 22.

The metal strips or ribbons I8 can be transferred directly to the flash lamps from the conveyor belt I 'I but each group thereof must be rumpled during said operation in a manner causing them to be uniformly distributed about the interior of the lamp. A short stick or lead pencil in the hand of an operator can be'used to pick up the strips or ribbons 'I8 and, if agitated back and forth, causes them to be formed into a loosely formed wad or ball which is then inserted into the lamp. The strips or ribbons I8 are suiiiciently stiff and irregular in form (although of uniform section) to quickly form the wad or ball desired and, after insertion in the lamp, are

sufficiently stiff to retain their portion in said lamp. Sudden jarring or rough handling of the lamp does not cause the strips or ribbons to shift materially.

The speed of operation of the cutting apparatus is such that a sufficient number of strips;

or ribbons I8 for a single lamp can be made in from 2 to 3 seconds, which is more rapidly than they can be inserted in flash lamps manually. Mechanical means must then be used'to take the strips I8 from the conveyor belt I'I. Sucli mechanical means may provide means for storing the strips I8 and may comprise a supplyreel in place of; roll 82, a continuous sheet of paper-orthe like in place of the belt I1, and a driven'coilecting reel. The collecting reel may be arranged so that the paper is wound upon it before the strips I8 can move from position and may be constructed so as to be readily removed to some other location where the paper may be unwound and the strips released as needed.

The modified apparatus shown in Figs. 7 and 8 comprises a rotary cutter I8 constructed so that the cutting edges I8 represented by the knives f 82 are removable. Means are also provided in said cutter I8 for separating the strips or ribbons I8 from the knives 82 since said strips or ribbons I8 tend to adhere thereto under certain conditions of operation. Each knife 82, of which there are eight in the instance shown. rests In a groove in the cutter I8 which definitely positions it, each knife being held in place by block 83 which is attached to the cutter I8 by the screws 88. Un-.

der certain conditions of operation the weight of the strips or ribbons I8 would not be sufficient to cause them to drop from the cutter I8, but a' relatively weak or low pressure jet of air is caused to be blown along the faces of the'knives 82 and the blocks 83 to separate said strips or ribbons therefrom. The air emerges from alarger opening 85 between the innermost edges or said faces into which it is conducted from a central opening 88 in the cutter I8 through regularly spaced radial passages 81 therein and is conducted to the cutter I8 from a supply source (not shown) through the flexible pipe 88 and the pipe 88 which is held by a portion 18 of the frame 22 and .which engages the end of the cutter I8, the terminus of the opening 88. The opposite end of the opening is plugged.

' The embodiment of our invention shown in Figs. 9 and 10 includes still further modifications thereof which contribute to the ease of manufacsatisfactory ture and repair, as well as a more operation of the apparatus. In this present embodiment, the sheet I8 of the combustible material is drawn from a roll II (at the right in Figs. 9 and 10) by the normal operations of the feeding means I8 (nearthe center of said figures) and passes from the roll II to lubricating means 1| and then to the feeding means 18 in the course of its movement. The cutting means 12 receives the portion of the sheet I8 advanced beyond the feeding means 18.

The roll II is carried by the conical faces of two plugs I8 which are forced into the opposite ends of a central opening therein, and is supported by the rod 28 and two upstanding arms- 2| extending from the frame 22' of the apparatus. The ends of the rod 28 rest in open slots in the upper ends of the arms 2I' and can be readily'removed from the apparatus when theone to two tenths per cent solution of stearic acid and alcohol, the alcohol functioning as the car-- rier and being evaporated from the sheet I8 soon after it leaves the lubricating means II. The lubricant is contained in the tank 13 of said'means and is transferred to the sheet I8 in the course of its movement which carries it through a slot between one rim of the tank 18 and the cover plate I4, down into the lubricant and then out a second corresponding slot over the opposite rim of said tank 78. Guide rolls II and I8 adjacent said rims keep the sheet Ill from touching the tank 18, whereas a larger roll 11 rides on the intermediate portion thereof and pulls it down into the lubricant. The ends of therolls 18, It, and 11 are located in slots in the tank 18 which permit the rolls to be lifted therefrom after the cover plate 18 is removed so that they and said tank It can be cleaned.

The next portion of the apparatus encased by the sheet I8 is the feeding means 18 which is a modification of our previously described apparatus in that different feed rolls l2 and I8 (Figs. 9, l0, and 11) are provided. In this particular instance the lower feed roll I! is made of steel and has a smooth surface, whereas the upper feed roll it has a metal core 18 and resilient rubber outer covering 18 presenting only a comparatively smooth surface. The ends of the lower feed roll l2 are joumalled in the uprights 24 attached to opposite ends of the bed 28' which rests on the block 88 carried by the frame 22' and, being positively mounted, cause said roll I! to be a fixed member against which the sheet I8 is pressed by the upper roller l8 which is journalled in floating bearing blocks 28 within slots in said uprights 24. The lower roll I! is the only driven member of the feeding means, in this particular instance, and is caused to advance the sheet in only in that said sheet I8 is pressed against it with sufficient force to prevent any slipping. The downward pressure of the upper roll I8 is developed from the expansion force of the springs 21 located between the top of the floating blocks and the adjusting screws 28 carried by the bars 28 on the upper ends of the uprights 24 and is sufflcient to cause the upper roll l8 to be deformed slightly so that very slight variations in the sheet l8, etc., have no effect on the feeding operation. The rubber covering 18 on the upper roll I8 is made by pressing a slightly smaller rubber tube of about 40 durometer resiliency over the metal core 18 thereof and then grinding said tube to uniform size from end to end so that it runs true and has uniform characteristics.v The resiliency of the upper roll It can not distort the sheet it since the lower roll I! is smooth and rigid and can not disturb the very exact feeding schedule in that said schedule depends on the very deflnite periphery of the lower roll l2 since the upper roll 18 idles.

The portion of the sheet l8 advanced beyond the feeding means 10 passes directly to the cutting means 12 which provides a stationary knife edge ll on a knife 8i attached to the bed 25 and a specially formed cutter l6? having eighteen cutting edges IS". The construction of these parts allows them to be shaped satisfactorily since the knife 8| can now be separated from the bed 28' and handled conveniently and the cutting edges I!" of the rotatable cutter l8" can now be treated and lapped by certain very desirable methods and apparatus. The knife 8! is attached to the bed 28' by screws 82 alongits length, whereas the bed 28', in turn, is securely clamped to the block 88 by the bolts 88 and maintains its very critical relation to the cutter l8" since the bearing blocks 88' in which the ends of said cutter It" are journalled are also fastened to said block 88.

The satisfactory operation of the cutting means 1! depends both on the condition of the cutting edges ll and ii" of the knife 8| and the cutter l8" respectively, and on the relation of these parts to each other. If either of these conditions is improper, the strips l8 are very apt to be torn from the sheet I8 and-to be of unequal width, and may develop a tendency to adhere to one or the other of the cutting edges ll or ii". Torn or unequal width strips destroy the properties of the flash lamps in which they are used, whereas an adhering strip l8 keeps one or more strips from the flash lamps and is very likely to block up the apparatus so as to destroy the normal movement of all the strips l8. The sharpening operation is comparatively simple in regard to the knife 8i, since both faces thereof forming the cutting edge H are straight and can be lapped against a flat surface. The cutter It", on the other hand, is round and has a prescribed lead to the cutting edges l8" thereof which causes it to be more diiilcult to sharpen. The land or face adjacent each cutting edge II! which is on the periphery of the cutter l8" can of course be sharpened while said cutter I8" is being rotated, but the adjoining substantially radially extending face of said cutting edge must be treated in some other manner. One particularly novel feature of the cutter I6" is that each radially extending face of said cutter It" forms a longitudinally extending semi-circular groove so that a round lapping tool of slightly less curvature than said face can be run back and forth along said face while being rotated to condition the edge.

The relative position of the knife 8| and the cutter l8" are adjusted by altering the position of the bed 25' on the block by adjusting the screws 84 extending from the plate 85 at the back thereof and the screws 88 extending from a plurality of fingers 81 at the forward edge thereof. The plate 85 is attached to the frame 22' of the apparatus by means of the bars 88 and 88 and retains its position in regard to the block 88 since said block is fastened to the frame 22 by the bolts 88 (Fig. 9). Once the knife 8! is brought to the correct position there is positive assurance that it will remain in this position. The cutter I6" is a rotatable member, however, and is more difficult to hold in place with the needed accuracy since the working clearance in the bearings at the ends thereof must be so small that said cutter can not shift about even within extremely narrow limits. It is preferred, there'- fore, that each end of the cutter It" as shown in detail in Fig.12 be held between three similarly shaped shoes 8| which are mounted on the ends of screws 82 threaded in the bearing blocks 88' in that said shoes 8i can be adjusted until the working clearance therebetween is reduced to the very minimum and so that a lubricant can be effectively introduced therebetween. The lubricant is fed to the bearing by a felt wick 88 which is fastened to an end of one of the shoes 8| by a strap 88 and which extends into a well 88 in the bearing block 88'. A flat ring 88 (Fig. 9) is fastened to the bearing block 88' to seal the lubricant in the chamber containing the shoes 8! whereas a felt washer 81 is attached to the opposite face-thereof to prevent any seepage of lubricant from about the end of the cutter it" from being thrown onto the sheet i8.

An important part of the cutting means 12 is the bar 82' (Fig. 11) which is located directly over the forward edge of the sheet l8 and the knife 8i. The bar 82' contributes to the extreme accuracy with which the cutting means 12 operates in that it functions as the means of holding the end of the sheet I in place over the cutting edge I4 so that said sheet I0 may not twist or curl and be cut unevenly. The bar 82' presents a smooth straight surface for its entire length and is mounted on two arms 34' extending from the bearing blocks 33' at opposite ends of the cutter I6". Each arm 34 (Fig. 13) is pivoted on a screw 98 held by the bearing block 33' and is swung down to the limit established by the engagement of stop screw 89 and stud I00 by the spring I0 I. At such times the bar 32 is normally .002 to .004 inch above the sheet I0 so that no resistance is provided to the feeding movement of said sheet and the said sheet I0 is still prevented from raising from its position on the The bar 32' is kept within .010 to .015 inch of the cutter I8" and is in substantial alignment with the cutting edge I4 of the knife 8|.

As in the prior instance, the rotatable cutter I8" is the driven member of the apparatus and is engaged by the driving means (not shown) through the belt I02, pulley I03, and coupling I04. The coupling I04 consists of two sections having interlocked teeth separated by pieces of only comparatively rigid material and provides for a slight difference in alignment of the cutter I6" and the shaft I of the speed reducer I08 on which said pulley I 03 is mounted so as to prevent the driving means from disturbing the position of the cutter I8". The sheet feeding means I0 is also driven through the speed reducer I08, but throughshaft I01 thereof,'and the train 40 (Figs. 9 and 14) of gears comprising gears 42', I08, I09, IIO, III and 46', the latter of which engages the end of the feed roll I2 through shaft. 41' and coupling 48'. This train 40 of gears differs from the other train 40 thereof principally in the substitution of gears 42' and I08, I08, H0 and I II for gears 42 and 43 respectively. Gear 42' is provided since adifferent number of strips I8 must be supplied in each series produced by the apparatus as the flash lamps in which thefilling (strips I8) is used are larger and require about 900 such strips I8. The group of teeth on the gear 42' producing this period of operation extends nearly around the periphery of the gear 42 and limits the feeding means to one rest and one operation period for every revolution of said gear 42'. The gears I08, I08, H0 and III permit suitable changes to be made in the gear train 40' to allow the feeding means I0 to be operated at slightly different speeds so that the width of the swings about the gear I08 on pin Ill with the movements of said arm II3. Pin H4 and shaft 41' are supported by the bracket I I6 and arm III respectively. The present gear train 40' is also better adapted to provide different width strips I8 for flash lamps requiring particular widths thereof.

It is preferred that the strips I8 be introduced into the envelope of a flash lamp and be worked" into the combustible filling therefor directly after they are manufactured in the cutting apparatus since they are extremely light in weight and difficult to handle. Such an arrangement also allows means to be attached to cutting apparatus for separating out various numbers of said strips I8 which constitute the prescribed filling for a flash lamp. The preferred method of effecting the transfer makes use of the current of air fiow ing into open mouth of a nozzle II8 located below the knife 8I to pick up and connected to a source of vacuum for picking up and carrying the strips I8. A plurality of nozzles, each connected to separate and different lamp filling apparatus, can be provided on such occasions and each can be controlled through the feeding means so as to make the feeding operation entirely automatic. The method and apparatus for feeding the strips I8 in the above manner is the subject matter of United States patent application, Serial No. 374,372, filed January 14, 1941, by Geiger and Davidson and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Apparatus for making combustible filling material for flash lamps comprising a stationary knife edge, means for feeding an end portion of a sheet of the combustible material over the knife edge, a rotatable cutter located in 0perative-relation to the knife edge having a plurality of cutting edges at the periphery thereof and having cylindrical end portions, bearings at --each end of the cutter comprising a plurality of strips I8 can be varied. This provision is desirable in that the strips I8 for any one lamp, must have very definite characteristics even though it may not be possible to provide the metal sheet I0 in exactly the same thickness at all times. Different sheets I0, as well as different sections of the same sheet I0, may vary from .0004 to .0013 inch in thickness and corresponding increases or decreases must be made in the width of strip I8 cut therefrom in order to maintain the characteristics of said strips I8 and the flash lamps in which they are used. r

The adjustment of the cutting operation is made by substituting different size gears for gear III and is permitted in that gear III is mounted on a pin I I2 on the free end of a movable arm I I3 pivoted on the pin II4. A spring II5 which extends between posts in the arm H3 and an adjacent stationary part of the apparatus pulls said arm I I3 so that the gears-46' and III mesh with each other at all times regardless of their size. The gear H0 is also mounted on the pin H2 and blocks and means capable of adjustment for holding said blocks against the cylindrical end portions of the cutter, means for rotating the cutter to cause each of said edges to engage and pass the knife edge to cut an extremely narrow strip of said sheet extending beyond said edge and means for operating the feeding means to advance succeeding strips of said sheet into the path of movement of the cutting edges.

2. Apparatus for making combustible filling material for flash lamps comprising means for cutting extremely narrow strips from an end portion of a sheet of the combustible material, a pair of feed rolls located adjacent the cutting means adapted to engage the opposite sides of the sheet having resilient and substantially rigid peripheral portions respectively to cause positive engagement between the sheet and said rolls, and means for rotating the feed roll having the substantially rigid peripheral portion and operating the cutting means in proper synchronization to each other to cause the sheet to be advanced to the cutting means and strips of the desired width to be cut therefrom.

3. Apparatus for making combustible filling material for flash lamps comprising means for cutting extremely narrow strips from an end portion of a sheet of the combustible material, a pair of metal feed rolls located adjacent the cutting means adapted to engage the opposite sides of the sheet, one roll having a rubber peripheral portion to cause positive engagement between the sheet and said rolls, and means for rotating one of the feed rolls and operating the cutting means in proper synchronization to each other to cause the sheet to be advanced to the cutting means and strips of the desired width to be cut therefrom.

4. Apparatus for making combustible filling material for flash lamps comprising means for cutting extremely narrow strips from the end of a. sheet of the combustible material, means for feeding said sheet to the cutting means at the necessary rate of speed and means for applying a lubricant to said sheet to prevent the strips from adhering to the cutting means.

5. Apparatus for making combustible filling material for flash lamps comprising means for cutting extremely narrow strips from the end of a sheet oi the combustible material, a tank located adjacent said cutting means adapted to hold a lubricant, means for holding a portion of the sheet in the tank to cause it to be coated with the lubricant and means located between the first-mentioned means and the tank for drawing the sheet through said' tank and feeding it to the cutting means,

FRANCIS J. RIPPL. ELMER B. ISAAC. 

